Category Archives: New York

What brought you to American Farmland Trust (AFT) and has kept you engaged in your work over the past 11 years?

I was first introduced to AFT when our former president, Ralph Grossi, along with AFT Special Advisor Norm Berg, came to discuss Farm Bill conservation programs with my then boss, Senator Herb Kohl. I was impressed that AFT clearly cared about both the environment and farmers—not just one or the other. I continue to feel that way. AFT fills an important niche in bridging the divide between the agriculture and environmental communities, and we are able to do that, in part, because we have a staff that knows and understands agriculture. I have great colleagues, and their expertise and commitment to those things that AFT works on makes it a wonderful organization to work for.

What would you say one of your greatest accomplishments at AFT was in 2012?

This past year has been one where AFT has focused our work at the regional level. We embarked on an exciting regional policy project with the Northeast Sustainable Working Group and the Conservation Law Foundation. We finished a regional milkshed study that looks at ways consumers and policymakers can support our region’s dairy farms. We organized a regional farmland protection convening attended by our land trust and state and federal agency partners around the region, and started planning for a larger regional farmland convening in 2013. And we continued our work with Farm to Institution in New England to build new markets for New England farmers and spur investment in the region’s food system infrastructure.

It’s been an exciting year, with so much interest and energy around the region on building New England’s food system infrastructure and fostering economic development in agriculture. And with each of the New England states focused on planning for agriculture and the food system, it’s a great opportunity to think holistically about the region’s farmland base and what it will take not only to stem the loss of productive farmland, but to put additional land back into production to grow the region’s food production capacity.

Brian Donahue at Brandeis University is working on an exciting vision about New England’s food future that imagines New England meeting at least half of its food needs in 50 years. Since we now produce only 10 percent of the fruits and vegetables we eat in New England, and less than 50 percent of the dairy products, this would be an enormous change, but one that could have a very positive impact on our food security, our economy and our environment. How much land will we need to get to this type of vision? And how do we work as a region to keep farmland in farming, reclaim land for agriculture in an environmentally sustainable way, and recognize that agriculture can play a critical role in our region’s economy and environment?

What are some of your most relevant findings thus far in AFT’s efforts to identify policies to improve regional food resilience?

Our two-year regional policy project with the Conservation Law Foundation and the Northeast Sustainable Ag Working Group is looking across the food system to identify both the most significant challenges and the policy levers that are going to be the most impactful. There are a few I would point out.

One significant challenge—and this is not new—is farm profitability. There are some very significant hurdles that farm businesses face that we simply have to address if we want to encourage a next generation of farmers and increase food production in the region. Farm labor is a huge hurdle. Increased and complex regulations around food safety are another. Reducing costs and increasing efficiencies—in energy and other farm inputs, in processing and distribution—are others.

We are also looking at opportunities to make land more accessible and affordable to both established and new farmers. A lot of landowners, including towns and land trusts, rent land to farmers but don’t always appreciate that some of the constraints they put on the use of that land make it challenging to farm. A lot of land that is protected in this region is protected in such a way as to make it difficult to farm. And for young farmers especially who don’t often have the resources to be able to purchase land, are there ways that might allow them to build some equity in a farm business on land that they may not own? There’s a lot of good thinking being done on this issue through Land For Good’s regional Land Access Project which we’ve been involved in, and we want to use this policy project to highlight and gain traction on some new policy ideas and tools. .

What are the most important steps moving forward in 2013 for your work in New England?

One of the things that we are very excited about is having a regional convening in the first quarter of 2013 around farmland specifically. The convening offers an opportunity to brainstorm around regional collaboration and to showcase state and regional policies and projects that are making a difference that we think might be replicated across the region. That conversation, and the work leading up to it and coming out of it, I hope will produce a needed action plan for the region around farmland.

Similarly, our new Farmland Advisors program, which we are doing jointly with AFT’s New York office, will be gearing up with webinars next spring and a conference next fall. This program will be training 80 participants—agricultural service providers, state agency staff, and land trust representatives—about farmland access and farm transfer tools and strategies. This is a way of taking what we’re learning from our regional policy project and the Land Access Project and getting information into the hands of the people who are working directly with farmers and landowners.

We will also stay involved in 2013 in both state and regional-level food system planning. We’re excited that Massachusetts is about to embark on a statewide strategic food system planning effort, and that Connecticut will be rolling out its first recommendations associated with its agricultural planning efforts. Farmland loss has been significant in both these states, and we see these planning efforts as critical to building momentum for policies and investments that will help keep farmers on the land.

What do you think is one of the most critical parts of your work in New England?

We’re at an exciting point in time where policymakers and the general public want to support local farms and farming. We absolutely need to make the most of this opportunity. We need to demonstrate that agriculture really can be an economic driver. We need to explain how investments in agriculture and farmland can be good for both the environment and for public health. And in this age of competing demands on state, federal and private resources, we need especially to be strategic. How can we best leverage resources within and around the region? What state and federal policies can we revamp to encourage smarter growth and less conversion of farmland? And what will really make the biggest difference in keeping farmers on the land over the next ten years? Fortunately, AFT has many great partners around New England, along with members and donors who share our vision and goals. We look forward to working with them all in 2013!

About the Author: Cris Coffin is the New England Director for American Farmland Trust, where she leads efforts to promote farmland protection, farm viability and conservation practices in New England through research, outreach, advocacy and policy development at the local, state and national level.

What brought you to American Farmland Trust and what has kept you here for 13 years?

I grew up in a very rural part of Upstate New York in a community that was dominated by dairy farms and apple trees. What I always appreciated growing up was the importance of helping to protect the natural environment but also to do it in a way that would allow people to make a living from the land. I saw it first-hand in the work that my neighbors were doing. American Farmland Trust is a national leader in finding ways of protecting the land but also supporting the people that are making their living from that land. So AFT was a natural fit.

Part of the reason I am still here is the people. I very much enjoy the people that have worked for American Farmland Trust. The commitment they have for the mission of this organization is very deep. We also work with some tremendous partners here in New York and we have the opportunity to see people that are really having an impact on the lives of a lot of New Yorkers.

Every day is a little different. No two days are the same and I think there are incredible challenges here and that makes coming to work fun.

What was one of the greatest accomplishments in for American Farmland Trust in New York in 2012?

I think it was a pivot year for AFT and our work in New York. Let’s face it, the last four years have been really, really tough. A lot of the public funding sources that we rely on for our work have been decimated. I think that in 2012 we saw that perhaps we are starting to rebuild some of the things that have been hurt so deeply. For example, our state farmland protection program got a boost in funding in 2012, up to $12 million. That program permanently protected 20 farms in 2011-2012. Those are 20 farm families and it is 6,000 acres of farmland that is now going to be permanently protected in this state.

We also really are at the earliest stages in, I think, some of the most exciting projects we’ve had here at AFT in a long time. Diane Held’s work with the New Generation Farmer initiative in helping new farmers find land in helping the senior generation transfer their farms successfully, I think the work is phenomenal. The Farms to Institutions in New York State initiative has just tremendous potential for AFT. I’m very excited about some of the work that Laura TenEyck is doing with an engagement campaign and hopefully in 2013 we’re going to take significant steps forward in getting more New Yorkers personally involved in helping stop the loss of farmland. I see the potential being very bright for AFT and our work in 2013.

Could you share an inspiring or memorable moment from the No Farms No Food Rally and Lobby Day?

I have the mental image of our Lieutenant Governor [Robert Duffy] joining us, talking about Governor Cuomo’s commitment to food and agriculture as an economic development priority. He was the mayor of the city of Rochester when American Farmland Trust gave Rochester the America’s Favorite Farmers Market award. He has seen personally how agriculture has such economic development potential in New York and how that can mean new jobs and new opportunities. He spoke very eloquently about that.

So did Robert Morgantheau who was our keynote speaker and a former Manhattan district attorney. It was a very heartening thing to see Mr. Morgantheau there with his son Josh, who is now managing their family farm in the Hudson Valley, pointing to the connection that farms have to our history, talking about Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill visiting their farm. But then he quickly moved into how their farm is helping to bring fresh produce into different communities in Brooklyn and Manhattan and the new CSA that they have. This connection with our history and our legacy in the Hudson Valley but also a lot of the interest in better diet and public health and some of the other connections we have here in New York. Those two people saying some of the things that they did really stood out for me. Laurie what comes to your mind when you think back?

Is there anyone that has inspired the way you thought about a challenge or approach with your land transition and next generation farmer work in New York?

We held two next generation farmer forums here in New York, one in Hyde Park last fall and one out in east Aurora. Matt Schober (Cool Whisper Farm) spoke, a farmer from Columbia County who was dealing with a farm transfer problem and wanted to get into grass-fed beef. The family had a small dairy farm in the Hudson Valley. His dad wanted to bring him back home to the family farm but he couldn’t afford to just gift the farm to his one son that wanted to come home. He didn’t feel it was fair. And the son was grappling with, “How do we make this work?”

For me, Matt just crystalized so much of the challenge for that senior generation, for his dad, but then also for him, as somebody that wanted to continue this family farm but was just struggling with the same sets of issues. Even though he grew up on a farm, he had gone off to school and he knew agriculture. It wasn’t a new experience for him but the challenges were so real. We need to be talking about both sides of the story. I think sometimes you get caught up in the young person that’s getting into agriculture. I think that’s a compelling story but we can’t forget the other side of the equation.

What are the most important steps moving forward in 2013 for your work in New York?

There are a few things that we’re going to be rolling forward with in 2013. We have one of our biggest water quality projects on eastern Long Island. We started to work with 10 farmers in helping them reduce their use of fertilizer to help protect Long Island Sound. I think we’re poised in 2013 to really ramp that up a notch and expand the number of farmers we work with and start looking at other types of crops that farmers are growing.

Our plans are to launch in 2013 this Greater Hudson Valley FarmLink network which will be a combination of a website, a series of training programs, and a network of supporting match facilitators to connect people that are looking for farms and have farmland available. So that is, I think, a very exciting program for 2013.

About the Author: David Haight is New York Director of American Farmland Trust and aids state and federal legislators as they work on agricultural and land conservation legislation. He has helped coordinate projects that have permanently protected more than 4,000 acres of New York farmland.

Farm and food advocates from around New York State laid solid groundwork for legislative funding to protect farmland, and sustain the business of agriculture, at American Farmland Trust’s third annual No Farms, No Food® Rally, held February 15 in Albany.

Our latest Rally brought together more than 100 individuals, representing 70 supporting organizations, and sent a powerful message to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Commissioner of Agriculture Darrel Aubertine, state legislators, and other New Yorkers. That message? We must strengthen our farm and food economy, protect farmland and the environment, and increase access to nutritious food grown in New York. Many participants described the day as “the best No Farms, No Food® Rally yet.”

Key state leaders underscored their commitment to strengthening New York’s farm and food policy. Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy, along with state agriculture committee chairs Senator Patty Ritchie and Assemblyman Bill Magee, joined us at the Rally and spoke in support of our pro-farm agenda.

Robert Morgenthau, former Manhattan District Attorney and Special Counsel to American Farmland Trust, introduced Lieutenant Governor Duffy. In his opening remarks, Morgenthau, who owns a family farm in Dutchess County, explained the state’s commitment to farmland this way, “There’s bad news and good news. The bad news is that the state doesn’t have a lot of excess money around, and in past years the protection of farmland has not been a priority for the state. The good news is this administration is committed 100 percent to supporting farms.”

Lieutenant Governor Duffy, in his remarks, praised New York State agriculture. “Not only do we have the greatest state in the nation, but we have the greatest agricultural state in the nation. Agriculture is a $4.7 billion industry in the state. That is huge.”

Duffy was emphatic about Governor Cuomo’s support for agriculture. “He gets it, he understands, he listens,” said Duffy. The Lieutenant Governor also spoke of his own personal interest in visiting farms and talking directly with American Farmland Trust, farmers and other supporters of New York’s farm and food systems, and about ways the state can help farmers build our farm and food economy.

Buy Local

Senator Patty Ritchie, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, told an enthusiastic crowd that “eating local matters.” Ritchie represents one of the largest-dairy producing regions in the state. It includes Oswego and Jefferson Counties, as well as the western half of St. Lawrence County. Ritchie is working with the state Office of General Services and Governor Cuomo to look for ways to bring more New York-produced food to Albany.

Rally participant Bhavani Jaroff of Long Island, and host of the Progressive Radio Network’s iEat Green, recorded her show from Albany on the day of the Rally. She stressed to listeners and those in attendance that New York must “allocate enough money to keep farmers from needing to sell their land to developers in order to retire, and to make it possible for them to transition their land to a new generation of farmers.” Jaroff went on to say, “We all need to eat, and if we want access to fresh, local, sustainably raised fruits, vegetables and dairy, we need to support our farmers.”

Building Relationships

It is imperative that the voices of pro-farming, pro-farmland advocates ring throughout Albany in the days immediately ahead, as New York State leaders negotiate a budget and review pieces of legislation key to farming’s future.

Visit our website, to see great photos and media stories about the No Farms, No Food® Rally 2012. We encourage you to share the images and articles on your own websites and through social media to help spread the No Farms, No Food® message!

The deadline for a final state budget is March 30, though Governor Cuomo is shooting to have it completed even sooner. Be sure to sign up for our email updates, if you haven’t already, and we’ll keep you updated during budget negotiations and as legislation we support makes its way through the legislature.

Last but certainly not least, remember that developing relationships with your elected leaders is critical! Invite them to your farmers market, CSA or land trust event. Ask them to meet your town board or food co-op or take a tour of your community. They must not ever forget—No Farms, No Food®!

About the Author:David Haightis New York Director of American Farmland Trust and aids state and federal legislators as they work on agricultural and land conservation legislation. He has helped coordinate projects that have permanently protected more than 4,000 acres of New York farmland.

At year’s end, we often reflect on the many challenges and successes of the past year. In New York, we are thankful for the tremendous impact that farmers, citizens and others have made to support local farming and the production of local food.

Across New York state, a movement is forming. People are coming together who care about jobs and our farm and food economy. They want to make it possible for more New Yorkers to have fresh fruits, vegetables milk and other products grown on local farms. And, New Yorkers are increasingly conscious that we need to stop losing farms to residential and commercial development. Here are a few examples of our work in 2011 as part of this growing No Farms No Food® movement:

Transitioning Farms to the Next Generation of Farmers

Roughly 30 percent of New York’s farmers are over the age of 65—with five times more farmers over the age of 65 than under 35. The transition of farms from one generation to the next—if all doesn’t go smoothly—represents a time of risk when farms are susceptible to being paved over for development. But that period of transition also offers hope for a younger generation looking to farm. In November and December, we focused a spotlight on these issues with forums in the Hudson Valley and Western New York. These events brought together farmers, land trusts, agricultural educators and others to identify the greatest needs and opportunities for aiding senior generations with farm transfer planning and assisting younger generations with securing productive farmland.

Securing Funds to Save Farmland

We organized our second No Farms No Food® Rally at the State Capitol on March 30, bringing together more than 150 New Yorkers and 70 organizations. Together, we met with more than 100 state legislators in support of critical funding needed to protect farmland from development, create farm and food jobs and increase the availability of local foods for all New Yorkers. With this support, Governor Cuomo and state legislators passed the first budget increase for farmland protection in three years and restored funding for a series of farm programs that were on the verge of being eliminated.

Working with Communities to Support Local Farms and Stop the Loss of Farmland

In 2011, we released Planning for Agriculture in New York: A Toolkit for Towns and Countiesto help planners, citizens and local officials take proactive steps to keep farms thriving in their communities. The new guide highlights 80 communities that have taken action through agricultural economic development programs, food and public policies, zoning and land use planning, purchase of development rights, public education and more. After releasing the new guide, we held a six-session webinar series highlighting chapters of the new publication that attracted almost 300 people from New York and other states.

Helping Farmers Protect Clean Water Across New York

For more than two decades, American Farmland Trust has worked with farmers to continue their legacy of environmental stewardship in New York. In 2011, we worked with farmers, landowners, conservation professionals and others to develop the Owasco Lake Agricultural Conservation Blueprint to help farmers enhance water quality in the lake while ensuring thriving farms. In addition, we kicked off a significant project in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County that will help sweet corn growers alter their fertilizer practices in order to reduce pollution in Long Island Sound.

A Look Ahead

The urgency for American Farmland Trust’s work in New York has never been greater. Our society needs the jobs that will come from a stronger farm and food system. At the same time, the urgent need for protection of natural resources, including soil and water, is tremendous. In the year ahead, we hope that you will join the movement in responding to these challenges. Each of us can play a role, whether by shopping at a farmers market, serving on a town planning board or protecting your own farmland. All of these steps matter. Remember, “No Farms, No Food!”

About the Author:David Haightis New York Director of American Farmland Trust and aids state and federal legislators as they work on agricultural and land conservation legislation. He has helped coordinate projects that have permanently protected more than 4,000 acres of New York farmland.

The USDA is hosting a contest in which you submit short video clips on how you are adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet while still watching your budget. There are three different categories that you can enter into: tips for kids, tips when eating at home, and tips when eating away from home. So how are you adding more fruits and veggies to your diet?

Pure fall farm beauty

If you haven’t had a chance to get out to the countryside recently to enjoy the beautiful fall, savor some gorgeous fall farm photos before marveling in your closest countryside soon.

With flood damage still affecting farmland in the Northeast, some farmers have taken to other means to secure income. From fundraising fall fests on the farm to using websites to promote and sell unused (but still good) chicken feed, these farmers are reaching new levels of creativity.

Charlottesville, Virginia, is making a name for itself as more than just the home of the University of Virginia. In fact, this city was called “locavore capital of the world” by Forbes magazine. With activities taking place across the state, from food festivals to extensive farm volunteer and donation programs, it looks like Virginia is taking the local food lead.

Visions of apple trees dancing in your head

Always wanted to own a neighborhood fruit orchard? Now could be your chance to have those dreams come true! The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is currently accepting applications nationwide from people looking to start their own community orchards.

Farmers are some of our nation’s greatest environmental stewards. This notion is exemplified in New York State, where farmers are part of a globally significant effort to provide clean, unfiltered drinking water to more than nine million residents of New York City. This success story is providing incredibly clean water to millions of people and saving city residents billions of dollars annually by avoiding the costs of constructing and operating water treatment facilities.

Success in the New York City Watershed is due in part to farmers protecting their land and managing it as a natural water filter in the watersheds surrounding the city’s reservoir system. Critical to the environmental health of the New York City watershed is the millions of dollars invested by New York City in farms. These investments have permanently protected more than 15,000 acres from development and put in place stream buffers and other conservation practices on thousands more. Such public investments are important to solving water quality problems. But while protecting the environment can be an additional cost to farm families, many farmers are not compensated for providing clean water, wildlife habitat and other environmental benefits enjoyed by the public.

Some of the water quality concerns are due to run-off entering the lake from agriculture, but that is not the only source of pollution. Other activities of concern include the over-fertilization of lawns along the lake shore and tributaries, poorly functioning septic systems, improper disposal of yard waste and the overwintering and nesting of waterfowl.

Creating a Conservation Blueprint

We’re documenting current efforts by farmers to protect water quality while identifying barriers keeping farmers from taking further steps to protect drinking water. Through the study, we will also develop strategies to help farmers do more to protect Owasco Lake while still making a living from their land. Our “conservation blueprint” for the watershed will be released later this summer and focuses in four areas:

Issue 1: Need for Further Research and Guidance on Conservation Issues

Issue 2: Barriers to Adoption of Conservation Practices

Issue 3: Public Perception of Farm Practices

Issue 4: Loss of Farmland to Development

Recommendations to address these four challenges are focused on Owasco Lake but can provide lessons for the rest of New York where farmers are major players in the landscape. Looking forward, our efforts to engage farmers in protecting drinking water will require us to overcome boundaries between agencies and coordinating efforts while providing farmers with timely solutions to the full range of conservation challenges they are facing. Funds from conservation programs will continue to be important, and we will be challenged to ensure they’re used in a way that maximizes the benefits to farmers and the general public. Swift action is also needed to stop the continued loss of farmland from sprawling development, which has plagued New York’s rural landscape for decades.

The quest for cleaner water will continue to challenge the farm community and the many agencies and organizations working with them. But ultimately, it will challenge all of us to ensure both a healthy environment and a strong farm economy.

About the Author:David Haightis New York Director of American Farmland Trust and aids state and federal legislators as they work on agricultural and land conservation legislation. He has helped coordinate projects that have permanently protected more than 4,000 acres of New York farmland.

National attention to concerns about food security, access to locally grown foods, and public health issues has never been higher and this focus is bringing together a diverse group of supporters with a shared energy to protect our farms and food. Farmers, ranchers, chefs, soup kitchen volunteers, environmentalists, urban gardeners, town officials, and local food advocates are agreeing on one thing: we must have local farms if we want to have local food.

Farms also remain critical to our economy. In New York, the state’s 30,000 farms sell more than $4.5 billion annually –milk, fruits, vegetables, meat, flowers, plants and so much more. Also, farms buy much of the goods and services they need to survive from other local businesses. Frequently overlooked is the network of connections between farms and thousands of New Yorkers employed at hardware stores, banks, farm equipment dealers and other enterprises that support local farms and food.

When you add together the businesses that sell goods and services to farmers, farm jobs and food processing companies, these enterprises generate a combined $30 billion a year in economic activity in just New York. With New York City residents alone spending more than $30 billion a year on food, the potential remains for growth in businesses involved in and connected to agriculture in the state.

In New York, we have decided to channel the energy surrounding farm and food and work collectively to bring these issues to our state legislators. People from across the state will be converging at the Capitol in Albany for our annual No Farms No Food® Rally and Lobby Day on March 30. Together, we will tell our elected officials that they must take action to stem the loss of farms that threatens our economy and food security.

Get involved and make a difference! If you live in New York, attend our No Farms No Food® Rally and Lobby Day. In any state, share your concern about farmland loss by contacting your federal, state and local officials and make sure they know you support local agriculture and want farmland protected.

About the Author:David Haightis New York Director of American Farmland Trust and aids state and federal legislators as they work on agricultural and land conservation legislation. He has helped coordinate projects that have permanently protected more than 4,000 acres of New York farmland.

New York State is losing farmland fast. The state has lost almost half a million acres of farmland to subdivisions, strip malls and scattered development in the last 25 years. In addition, New York’s remaining active agricultural land is capable of feeding only 6 million of the state’s 19 million residents. That’s only 30 percent of the state’s population! Our food security and economy are hurt as the state continues to lose farmland at a rate of 9,000 acres a year—the equivalent of one farm every 3 ½ days.

Rural communities in western and central New York along with the North Country have seen an influx of commuters from upstate cities and second home owners. Meanwhile, the Hudson Valley and Long Island continue to experience some of the most intense development pressure in the nation.

Some of these impacts are glaring. Farm fields have been paved over with subdivisions, shopping plazas and parking lots. Other significant effects of poorly planned development are less visible. Farmland prices in many regions have risen to levels farmers can’t afford. Demand for public services goes up and as a result property taxes are rising.

Nevertheless, a growing number of New York communities are rediscovering something that used to be common sense: Communities need local farms. Farms provide food and jobs. Farms protect water quality. Farms maintain scenic landscapes and wildlife habitat that not only attract tourist dollars but are integral to the quality of life of local people.

This new resource profiles more than 80 case studies of towns and counties in New York and other states across America that have taken action to strengthen economic opportunities for local farmers and protect farmland from being lost to development. It describes 12 tools—from agricultural economic development programs, food procurement and health policies, zoning and purchase of development rights, right-to-farm laws and public education programs—that can be used by local governments to support the business of agriculture in their community.

Although focused on New York, the toolkit and accompanying appendix offer useful lessons about the programs and policies necessary for successful planning for agriculture in any community. The guide also provides information on how to educate others on the value of our farms and farmland. In the end, our hope is that this new toolkit supports efforts to protect our agricultural land in New York and beyond.

About the Author:David Haightis New York Director of American Farmland Trust and aids state and federal legislators as they work on agricultural and land conservation legislation. He has helped coordinate projects that have permanently protected more than 4,000 acres of New York farmland.

The boxy white tool truck is hard to miss as it darts around New York City, a bright logo splashed across the vehicle’s side that says, “Good earth. Good eats.” Wherever it stops in the five boroughs, farm-fresh produce and Holton Farms workers with welcoming smiles spill out, bringing a new twist on healthy food for urban residents.

The farm truck, a CSA on wheels, is the brainchild of cousins Seth Holton and Jurrien Swarts of Holton Farms in Westminster, Vermont. This innovative approach to direct farmer-to-consumer relationships could serve as a model for helping farmers sustain their businesses while providing low-income residents in urban centers with access to fresh food.

Holton Farms Farm Truck

Swarts and Holton have infused an entrepreneurial spirit into the historical legacy of their eighth generation farm. “For two years, the farm has been going through a generational transition,” explains Swarts, who manages the New York City operations while Holton runs the farm in Vermont. “Seth and I talked to our uncle and he was ready to let us take over. We made the decision – what can we do to differentiate ourselves?” Now with nearly 400 members and a unique “CSA Select” design that allows customers to select the items they want, Holton Farms has set itself apart.

“It’s been quite a learning experience,” says Teddy Winthrop, who has worked on the farm truck since graduating from college. Winthrop’s family owns a tree farm in South Carolina and they are long-time supporters of American Farmland Trust.

Seth with daughter, Hannah

The Holton Farms unique business model is centered on access, with the mobile farm truck reaching clientele across the economic spectrum in different parts of the city. The truck delivers CSA orders to areas that lack access to fresh, healthy food. More recently, Holton Farms received their retail mobile-food vending license and can sell food to anyone including low income New Yorkers at subsidized prices.

“I think we’re proving our model. We’re pretty happy with how far we’ve taken it,” said Swarts. “Next year, we’d like to have five trucks on the road.”

Access to healthy food also requires affordability, and Holton and Swarts understand the value of attracting business beyond their philanthropic goals. The Holton Farm programs are more than the initiatives of just another start-up. Low-income residents receive a 20 percent discount on CSA memberships, an expense that is subsidized by customers who do not qualify for the reduced price. Even without discounted pricing, a share can cost less than $10 per week during the growing season. The model not only broadens the membership reach but also connects everyone to contribute toward a common cause.

For Holton and Swarts, their work goes beyond creating a successful business. “We’re looking to make as big an impact as we can,” Swarts explained. “I left a desk job. Now I can take pride in getting dirty, getting sweaty, seeing the smiling faces of parents getting high quality food for their kids.” And, fortunately for New York City residents, they have only just begun.